Hey gorgeous! We’re talking to this Pinot, sorry for the confusion.

It’s always a bright, sunshiny day when La Pitchoune shows up on the tasting table. Today, thanks to a small miracle, we snagged a few of this tiny 48-case-production Van der Kamp Pinot for you.

The price? WAY over 50% off, naturally.

This somm-favorite, “insider” winery has graced our site several times. And every time it sells out. Just sayin’.

The Nielsen’s aim is to make wine in a Burgundian fashion. Working with small farmers, producing just a few barrels at a time, and striving for the highest quality. The name “La Pitchoune” or “little one” even comes from a small vineyard in Burgundy. They’re tapped into some prime vineyard sites - Chenoweth, Devoto, English Hill, Pratt, and Van der Kamp to name a few, many of which supply fruit to cream-of-the-crop Pinot makers like Dehlinger or Kistler.

Van der Kamp is a special site sitting high at 1,500 feet elevation on Sonoma Mountain. Flowers, Siduri, Landmark, Dutton-Goldfield, or La Follette are just some of the labels that have showcased this spectacular vineyard in the past or continue to do.

This bridges the gap between California and Burgundy with terrific ripe fruit, loads of savory character, and ample acidity. It flexes a pulsating core of pure red fruit - cherry and rhubarb and pomegranate with a bay leaf, spice cabinet, blood orange, raspberry tea, and worn leather joining along for the ride. Complex and intellectually stimulating, make no mistake - this beauty is NOT for the cafeteria amoebae wine drinkers who want some syrupy Meomi type concoction.

No reviews on this newer vintage, but with a track record of many high scores, La Pitchoune’s Van der Kamp according to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate remains the highest-rated Pinot ever from this vineyard as it “possesses great polish and harmony finishing long and perfumed…”

Winemaker Andrew Berge led the way for years, until his untimely passing in 2021. Yet wines built like this will carry on his legacy for many years, decades to come. Just a couple of barrels bottled to begin with. Totally SOLD OUT on their website, not available anywhere, we have some of the last remaining bottles of this fabulous 2018 vintage, when “nearly perfect conditions resulted in fruit-driven and very expressive Pinots” per Wine Spectator.

A Pinot so real - under $30 - is a steal. Will go fast!